Mail box accessory



Jan. 13, 1959 5.w.wH|TT|ER 2,868,444 MAIL BOX ACCESSORY Filed April 28. 1958 United States This invention relates to mail boxes and more particularly to an accessory adapted to be movably installed within mail boxes of the type customarily used in rural areas without need for fasteners or tools of any kind and having for its principal purpose improving the convenience of such boxes and reducing, if not eliminating, the likelihood of mail being overlooked either by the postman or by the owner of the box.

The invention is related to and incorporates certain improvements over the accessory device disclosed in my co-pending application for United States Letters Patents Serial No. 583,668, filed May 9, 1956, entitled Mail Box Accessory.

The invention features a new and improved drawer type mail receptacle designed to be movably installed within conventional rural mail boxes of the horizontally disposed type having an access opening at one end normally closed by a closure hinged to the box along the lower edge of this opening. The rather shallow, opentopped receptacle conforms generally in shape with the bottom of such mail boxes but it is slightly smaller in width and length so as to be freely slidable along the bottom of the mail box thereby providing assurance that mail deposited in the mail box will be contained only in the receptacle.

withdrawn drawer-fashion through the open end of the box to expose the major portion of the receptacle in a downwardly inclined, convenient position for the removal of mail and providing an unobstructed view of the receptacle to avoid the likelihood of any piece of mail being overlooked.

Prior proposed designs having related objectives have been unsatisfactory and have not enjoyed general use for various reasons. For example, prior mail receiving drawers have been designed as part of the mail box itself thereby adding appreciably to the complexity and to the cost of the overall assembly. Furthermore, and of particular significance, is the fact that the advantages of the mail receptacle forming the principal feature of such prior boxes cannot be enjoyed by persons already having mail boxes of the standard type without discarding their present mail box and replacing it with the new type having a builtin mail receiving drawer. The present invention obviates these undesirable features and shortcomings by providing a unitary receptacle so de signed as to be installed within existing boxes without need for assembly fasteners or of tools of any kind; nor is any alteration required in the existing mail box. Furthermore, no experience or special instructions are required to install the receptacle of the present invention in existing boxes, installation being made simply by tilting the receptacle about its longitudinal axis until the special stop means carried by its sides are beyond the inturned rim of the box access opening. Thereafter, the receptacle is brought to rest on the bottom of the box with the stop means located behind hte inturned edges of the access opening and cooperable therewith to pre- To facilitate the deposit or removal of mail from the receptacle, the latter is adapted to be atent -higher elevation than the forward end. Additionally,

and when the receptacle is withdrawn from the box, this stop means rides off the lower edge of the mail box bottom opening and cooperates with the stop means on the sides of the tray in supporting the receptacle rigidly in an inclined position.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved accessory designed for use in conventional rural type mail boxes as an aid in removing mail therefrom and to present such mail for removal at a point outwardly of the box access opening.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a mail depository receptacle for use in mail boxes which receptacle is adapted to be partially withdrawn through the open end of the mail box to present any mail con tained therein in a fully exposed position and in a more convenient position for removal therefrom.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing the accessory receptacle of this invention in its withdrawn mail delivery position in a rural type mailbox;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detailed view on an' enlarged scale taken along line 2--2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlargedside elevational view of Figure 1 with partsbroken away and showing how the stop means cooperate in supporting the receptacle in its withdrawn position.

Referring to the drawings, .there is shown a typical rural type mail box designated generally 10 comprising an elongated metal box 11 formed from sheet metal and adapted to be supported at a convenient height from the ground, as by a post 12. Box 11 includes a generally rectangular bottom wall 13 preferably provided with rounded beads 25 extending substantially the full length thereof and serving to reinforce the box as well as to support mail out of contact with any water which may be present. The rear end of the box is closed by an upright end wall 14 and the forward end is provided with a large area access opening 15 normally closed by a closure 16' having its lower edge hinged across the lower edge of the access opening, as by a hinge 17. Preferably the cover is provided with a wide flanged rim 18 which, in its closed position, telescopes over the inturned beaded edge 26 bordering access opening 15. A spring keeper 22 has one end 23 spotwelded to the top of the box with its outer end projecting beyond the box and shaped to frictionally engage the flange 18 to maintain closure. 15 releasably closed. i

The accessory device provided by this invention for convenience in removing pieces of mail from the box is designated generally 30 and comprises a relatively shallow, open-topped receptacle having a flat bottom 31 and upstanding side walls 32 and end walls 33 secured together in any suitable manner such as'by spotwelding or adhesive bonding 34. It is pointed out that this recep-1 tacle may be made of any suitable material including Desirably, the bottom 2,ses,4.44

It will be understood that receptacle 30 is of the same general shape as the bottom wall 13 of the mail box but is slightly shorter in length and slightly narrower in width so as to be freely slidable along the bottom of the mail box and to be completely enclosed'within the box when in its normal retracted position therewithin. In consequence of these dimensions it will be clear that it is impossible for smaller pieces of mail to become displaced from the tray and to pass therebeneath unnoticed.

The stop means for holding mail receptacle 3ft assembled to the mail box, butfree for limited movement lengthwise of the box such as to an inclined position partially withdrawn therefrom, is best shown in Figures 2 and 3. The referred to stop means comprises a plurality of stops fixed to the exterior lateral sides and to the bottom wall of the receptacle. One set of stops comprises a pair of tabs 37, 37 secured to the side walls of the tray as by spotwelding 38 andthe other set comprises a downwardly extending pair of tabs 39, 39 similarly secured to the exterior bottom of the receptacle. Preferably, and as herein illustrated, stop tabs 37 and 39 at either side of the receptacle are formed from a single piece of sheet metal. It will be understood that the faces of tabs 37, 37 are suitably inclined to the vertical and to the longitudinal'axis of the receptacle, such as at the angle illustrated in Figure 3. Accordingly, the forward face of the stop tabs will lie flush with the inturned reinforcing edges 20, 20 of the mail box access opening when the tray is in its withdrawn position and inclined downwardly at the angle illustrated in Figure 3. Preferably stops 37 and 39 are secured to the tray rearwardly of its longitudinal center of gravity with the result that the heavierforward end of the receptacle is effective in its withdrawn position to hold the tray tilted downwardly with stop tabs 37, 37 resting flush against the inner edge of the inturned flange 20.

Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that stop tabs 39, 39 secured to the bottom of the receptacle are positioned somewhat forwardly of the plane of tabs 37 and so as to supplement stop tabs 37 in supporting the receptacle in its inclined position. To this end the lower edge of stop tabs 39 are positioned to bear against the forward edge of the mail box bottom or against the adjacent portion of hinge 17 when stop tabs 37 lie flush against the inturned edge 20 of access opening 15. When the receptacle is tilted upwardly from its inclined position shown in Figure 3 and is shifted back into the mail box, the lower edge of tabs 39 ride along the beaded surfaces 25 formed in the bottom of the mail box. It is further pointed out that when the receptacle is in its fully retracted position within the box, tabs 39, 39 are effective to support its rear end at a higher elevation than its forward end.

To install the mail receptacle within a mail box no tools or special operations of any kind are required other than to tilt the receptacle about its longitudinal axis sufficiently for tabs 37, 37 to bypass the beaded edge 20 of access opening 15. Once tabs 37 have been inserted beyond inturned bead 20, the receptacle is tilted back to its horizontal position parallel to the mail box bottom and allowed to come to rest thereagainst. Tabs 37 then lie behind inturned bead 2d of the access opening and for this reason it is impossible to withdraw the receptacle beyond this bead.

Normally receptacle 30 is retracted fully within the mail box until the user desires to inspect the box for any mail which may be present. Such inspection is preferably made by opening closure 16 downwardly and pulling receptacle 30 forwardly until stop tabs 37 engage the inturned bead 20. In this position the receptacle tilts downwardly automatically as stop tabs 37 and 39 engage bead 20 and hinge 17 to support the receptacle rigidly in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3. The user then is provided with a full and unobstructed view of the inner area of the receptacle and of any mail there present. To return the parts to.their normal positions, the user merely lifts,the. forward end of receptacle 30 upwardly and shifts the same rearwardly, care being taken that the forwardend is tilted up sufiiciently for tabs 39 to clear the forward edge of the box bottom. After thereceptacle has been restored to its position entirely within the. mailbox, closure 16 is closed beneath resilient keeper 22.

While the particular accessory for mail boxes herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that its .is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims,

I claim:

1. A mail box accessory adapted to have limited freedom of movement within a ruralmail box of the type comprising an elongated, horizontally. disposed mail chamber open only at one end and provided with a dowm wardly opening closure hinged to the lower edge of said open end, the opposite sides of said open end being turned inwardly to reinforce the edge of said open end, said accessory comprising a shallow, open-topped mail receiving receptacle having a base area of the same general shape but slightly smaller than the bottom of the mail box in which it is adapted to beused, saidreceptacle having fixed exteriorly to the bottom and at least one lateral side thereof outwardly extending stop means, said stop means being positioned rearwardly of a transverse plane bisecting said receptacle longitudinally thereof whereby the stop means on the bottom of said receptacle rests against the bottom of said mail box when the receptacle is withdrawn therewithin and cooperates in supporting the receptacle with its inner end at a slightly higher elevation than its forward end, and the stop means on the outer lateral side of said receptacle being engageable with the inturned edge of the mail box opening to limit withdrawal of the receptacle therethrough as the user pulls the receptacle outwardly to deposit mail in or recover mail from said receptacle.

2. A mail box accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said mail receptacle is provided with stop means on the exterior of either lateral side thereof at points directly opposite one another longitudinally of the receptacle.

3. A mail box accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the stop means on the lateral side of said receptacle is positioned slightly rearwardly of the stop means on the bottom of the receptacle whereby said bottom and side stop means are adapted to cooperate with one another and with the juxtaposededges of the open end of a mail box to support said receptacle with its outer end inclined downwardly when the same is withdrawn outwardly from the mail box in normal usage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 772,256 Schrnoyer Oct. 11, 1904 908,543 Brown Jan. 5, 1909 2,804,263 Fonde Aug. 27, 1957 

